Make the Best Flatbread with a Pizza Stone

Kitchens today are amazing. The heart of our homes are full of high tech appliances and equipment made to make our lives easier, by making cooking easier. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of this great technology, but sometimes the old school kitchen tools are the best. 

There is nothing that can replace the taste of classically prepared goodies. Let’s take bread for example, yes, you can make bread in a breadmaker, but I promise you that it tastes much, much better when you do it the old fashioned way.

This is why I love pizza stones so much. For those that aren’t familiar with baking stones, here’s an introduction for you:

A baking stone (also known as a pizza stone) is a flat stone baking surface that is made from natural clay which has been pressed and kiln-fired. This ceramic tile works much like bricks around a fireplace. They absorb and radiate heat, while resisting cracking or warping. 

By placing a baking stone on the bottom rack of your oven allows you to recreate the baking process of a classic baker’s oven. This is how you make the amazingly flavorful, just-like-the-bakery crispy crust taste in your bread.

Pizza stones aren’t just for pizza crusts or plain bread. They are also the absolute best way to make flatbread.

The next time you want to enjoy a flatbread, don’t even think about heading to the store. Once you make your own flatbread in your own kitchen, you will absolutely never go back to store bought.

About Flatbread

According to Wikipedia, "A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread." 

Flatbreads were amongst the earliest processed foods–– early flatbread production sites have been found in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt: flatbread has been a food staple for as long as we can remember.

infogram: Wikipedia

Find the Perfect Flatbread Recipe

Flatbread is delicious, but not every recipe is the same. These are some of my favorite flatbread recipes:

Garlic Herbed Flatbread–– When making an Italian inspired meal, there is no better flatbread than this Garlic Herbed Flatbread. Recipe by Minimalist Baker.

Quick and Easy Flatbread (No Yeast)–– For the beginning baker, this quick and easy flatbread is the perfect place to start! Recipe by Fabulessly Frugal.

3-Ingredient Flaky Flatbread–– Flaky and delicious, this 3 ingredient flatbread is easy to make and you'll love it. Recipe by Epicurious.

Gluten-Free Flatbread–– If you are looking for a gluten free flatbread recipe, look no further! This is a really good one. As someone who follows a gluten free diet, I feel like I can confidently say when a gluten free recipe is good or not. Recipe by Saucy Kitchen.

The Best Toppings for Flatbread

The best toppings for flatbread can be anything you want them to be. You can use them as a base for pizza, or you can top them with anything you want. A classic and delicious topping combination is tomatoes, basil, rosemary and a tiny bit of olive oil.

Sassafras® has many recipe pages, among them being one for making delicious homemade Bread Dipping Oil, so be sure to check that out!

How to Make the Best Flatbread with a Pizza Stone

Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to 400°.

It’s important to note that a baking stone does not heat like regular bakeware. The stone needs time to heat up and cool down similar to your oven itself. 

This preheating process is a crucial step in baking the perfect flatbread, but it does take up to 45 minutes to get it to the right temperature (probably 20 minutes or so after your oven is preheated). Keep in mind that the thicker the stone, the longer it takes to preheat.

Mix together the ingredients for the flatbread recipe of your choice.

Make sure your working surface is clean and dry. Lightly flour the surface. Move your flatbread dough to your floured work surface and knead until smooth. This step should take less than 5 minutes. If you find your dough is too sticky, add more flour as you go.

It’s time to divide the dough into 3 separate pieces, rolling each piece out. Place your rolled out flatbread onto your preheated stone and bake the first side for 5-8 minutes until lightly browned. Turn over and bake for another 3-5 minutes.

Remove bread from the oven, allow time to cool and top the flatbreads with your favorite toppings.

Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone

For quality baking, your pizza stone can be what makes or breaks your flatbread. I personally prefer the Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone. The Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone has a natural grooved surface for even heat distribution and a fire-proof finish, perfect for making pizza on the grill in the summertime or anytime of year–– the Superstone® BBQ Pizza Stone can also be used in any conventional or convection oven, giving this stone the most versatility.

Serve it Up

If you need accessories for cutting and serving, look no further–– Sassafras® has a wood-handled spatula and a silicone-handled spatula for all your baking and bread-carving needs.

We hope that you enjoy baking flatbread as much as we like talking about them. Happy Baking!